MeitY seeks AI-powered chatbot and voice bots to assist startups

To overcome regional language barriers, the chatbot must support "multilingual communication, making it easier for startups across different regions to interact with MSH."

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is looking to develop AI-driven chatbot and voice bot solutions to enhance support for startups in India.

Launched under the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), the initiative aims to provide multilingual, and round-the-clock assistance to startups navigating government schemes, funding opportunities, and incubation programs.

In a call for application (CFA) floated by the ministry on March 20, the government said, "The integration of a progressive service (AI Service) with the MSH Portal, providing enhanced communications, and prompt and accurate human-like responses in multiple languages will improve the accessibility of information, streamline processes, and provide real-time assistance to startups associated with MSH."

According to the CFA, the chatbot and voice bot solutions will be integrated with the MSH portal to provide real-time query redressal, and offer customised AI-driven recommendations tailored to startups’ profiles and business needs.

MeitY expects the solution to handle a large volume of queries simultaneously using Natural Language Processing (NLP) for contextual responses.

The CFA said that it should also be capable of lead generation and CRM (customer relationship manager) integration while providing analytics on user engagement and conversation trends.

The voice bot must be capable of handling up to 50 concurrent calls, offer intelligent call routing, and include sentiment analysis to adjust responses based on user tone, the CFA said. Additionally, the system must comply with data protection regulations, including ISO 27001 and GDPR.

The chatbot and voice bot must support multiple languages, including Hindi, English, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Spanish, Arabic, and German in high-quality, with additional basic support for Odia, Malayalam, Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Assamese, it said.

"Supporting multilingual communication, making it easier for startups across different regions to interact with MSH which shall overcome the communication challenges that exist across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 cities due to the lack of multilingual support," it read.

The selected startup must integrate the AI-powered service within five to seven days of receiving the work order. The initial deployment period is set at 12 months, with the possibility of an extension based on performance.

The project timeline includes a planning phase for requirement gathering and validation with MSH stakeholders, followed by a pilot deployment to fine-tune AI capabilities. Training and documentation sessions will be conducted for MSH personnel to manage the chatbot and voice bot.

The last date for application submission is March 26, 2025, with the opening of technical applications scheduled for March 27. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their proposals, and financial quotes will be opened at a later date.